TUCSON, ARIZONA – The Udall Foundation and Native Nations Institute are pleased to announce the selection of 12 students from nine Native nations and 11 universities as 2018 Native American Congressional Interns. An independent review committee chose them on the basis of academic achievement and a demonstrated commitment to careers in Tribal public policy.

The Udall Interns will complete an intensive, 9-week internship in the summer of 2018 in Washington, D.C. Special enrichment activities will provide opportunities to meet with key decision makers. From 1996 through 2018, 267 Native American and Alaska Native students from 120 Tribes will have participated in the program.

The 2018 Interns are:

Darrah Blackwater, Navajo Nation, interning with the Department of the Interior, Office of the Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Indian Affairs

Chloe Elm, Tonawanda Band of Seneca Indians of New York, interning with the Department of Justice, Office of Tribal Justice

Terance Fields, Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, interning in the office of Representative Don Young

Ravyn Gibbs, Bois Forte Band (Nett Lake) of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, interning with the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (pending)

The Native American Congressional Internship Program provides Native American and Alaska Native students with the opportunity to gain practical experience with the Federal legislative process to understand firsthand the government-to-government relationship between Tribes and the Federal Government. The Udall Internship is funded and co-administered by the Native Nations Institute at the University of Arizona.

For additional information about the Native Nations Institute and the Udall Internship program, please contact Mona Nozhackum at 520-626-0664 ornozhackum@email.arizona.edu.